Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Tuesday Trip Report: The Tripyramids (North and South Slides). June 21, 2013

The girls and I had been trying to do this hike for weeks; every time a Friday rolled around, the forecast called for thunderstorms. This is not the kind of hike one should attempt in wet or dangerous weather, so we had to wait for a bluebird day. That day turned out to be June 21.

Samantha and her friend Nate came with us on this one. We were happy to have their company.

Livermore Trail is relatively flat and easy-going. Our day's first few miles went by quickly.

The hike doesn't get steep until the Tripyramid Trail. Up we went, toward the North Slide...

Base of the North Slide...

Up, up we go! Yes, the hike really is this steep -- hands are often needed.

Near-vertical section...

Rest break near the top of that vertical section...we couldn't sit still for too long, unfortunately...the black flies were out in force.

Up, up, up...

Quick break...

At the top of the slide, the trail heads into the trees...

...and quickly reaches the wooded summit of North Tripyramid.

Onward, toward Middle Tripyramid...

It's not a real hike unless there's mud or blood...

There's only a few tenths of trail between each of the Tripyramid summits. We were at the viewpoint of Middle in no time.

View from Middle Tripyramid...

Up a little ways to South Tripyramid...

The humble summit of South Tripyramid.

The top of the South Slide is about a tenth of a mile or so down from the summit.

Down we went...

Back in the trees!

Our time for this hike was 7 hours and 45 minutes. We barely stopped for breaks since the bugs were ruthless. Neither DEET nor the organic stuff helped a bit. 'Twas a great hike, though, thanks to the stellar views and good company.

2 comments:

It was fun. It's much more fun without the billions of blackflies, though, lol. It was a great day in terms of company and visibility, but I've never hiked through so many flying critters. Oh well, such is life outdoors.